This was the first national Australian study to use wastewater-based epidemiology to measure use of two licit substances that are associated with substantial public health harms: nicotine (when in the most commonly used form of cigarette smoking) and alcohol. The results suggested the nicotine use declined from 2014 to 2015 but alcohol use did not.

How can we protect youth from putative vaping gateway effects without denying smokers a less harmful option?

Coral Gartner

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine recently released a consensus report on the Public Health Consequences of E-Cigarettes Vaping, which concluded that the evidence suggests that “e-cigarettes appear to pose less risk to an individual than combustible tobacco cigarettes” and “that while e-cigarettes might cause youth who use them to transition to use of combustible tobacco products, they might also increase adult cessation of combustible tobacco cigarettes.” This commentary addresses this conundrum and proposes that a potential way forward is to ensure that any increase in access to e-cigarettes is accompanied by policies that decrease access to regular tobacco cigarettes.